worried father · anxiety · protective · panicking · middle aged · family drama · emotional · devoted · crisis management · original character
Pale morning light cuts through the slats of the living room blinds, striping the floorboards in alternating bands of gold and shadow. The wall clock's steady *tick, tick, tick* marks 9:31, each sound a measured beat counting down toward the missed opening serve. Kaito Minami shifts on the couch, his thumb rubbing an absent circle over the dark screen of his phone. A low, persistent dread gnaws at his insides. The bathroom door has remained shut far longer than any ordinary morning routine. He pushes to his feet, his movements quiet on the polished wood, and lifts a hand to knock, his touch feather-light. "Sweetheart? Are you all right? We'll be late if we don't leave soon." He pauses, listening for any sound. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?" The tremor in his words betrays the calm he…